So-called “engine swaps” wherein a vehicle's engine is removed and replaced with another, usually are performed because of failure or to install a different engine, usually one that is more powerful or more modern and more maintainable. In one popular type of engine swap, a large engine is installed into a small car in the hopes of achieving a vehicle with a very high power-to-weight ratio. Typically this means creating a vehicle configuration that is not factory original. The most positive aspect of an engine swap of this type is the gain in horse power without a loss of reliability. Fitting an engine into a car that was never designed or intended to accept it can require a great deal of work, e.g., modifying the car to fit the engine, modifying the engine to fit the car, building custom engine mounts and transmission bell housing adapters to interface them along with a custom built drive shaft, etc.
One common problem in a large engine for small engine swap is the necessity to move the water pump to a remote location because of tight engine to body clearances. Most engine water pump adapters are comprised of a two-piece inlet and outlet configuration and “Y” blocks to connect the radiator hoses to the radiator and water pump. There are several disadvantages to this approach. The primary disadvantage is the fact that these excessive hoses can increase the chances of air pockets forming in the cooling system and require the use of expensive NPT fittings to complete the installation. Additionally, such modifications increase clutter in an already confined space in the engine compartment.
Clearly there is a need for some kind of adapter, manifold or the like that is configured to provide better clearance, access and, if desired, ease of reconfiguring reverse cooling of the engine. Such an adapter and manifold must provide access to the space between the engine and the vehicle body. Such a manifold should also enable the engine to be reverse cooled with minimal reconfiguration time. In this regard, many high performance engines are reverse cooled. In this regard, there is a benefit to cooling the combustion heads first, followed by the engine block since it is believed that this reduces combustion detonation, known as knock, spark knock, or pinging. It would further be desirable to have a system without excessive hoses, connections and the like that promote clutter in an already tight area of the vehicle engine compartment.